What does S tier mean?

Where the “S” comes from

The S grade originated in Japan, where school and arcade grading systems used S above the usual A–F scale to mean Special, Superior, or Superb — a result so good that a normal A didn’t capture it. Fighting-game and RPG communities adopted it to mark characters that were a clear cut above the rest, and the convention spread across the internet from there.

So when you see something in S tier, it means “better than the best of the rest.” It is the rank you reserve for your absolute favorites.

The full S–D tier scale

After S, tiers follow the alphabet, each one a step lower:

• S — The best. Elite, top-of-the-list picks.
• A — Excellent. Great choices that just miss the very top.
• B — Good and solid. Reliable, no complaints.
• C — Average. Fine, but nothing special.
• D — Below average. You can do better.
• F — The worst. Bottom of the barrel (some lists skip E and go straight to F).

Most tier lists use five rows (S, A, B, C, D). You can add E and F for harsher rankings, or stop at C for shorter ones — there are no fixed rules.

What does each tier letter mean?

Here is what people mean by each rank, at a glance:

• S tier means the absolute best — elite, must-have, can’t-be-beaten.
• A tier means excellent — great picks that just miss the very top.
• B tier means good and solid — reliable, no complaints.
• C tier means average — perfectly fine, middle of the pack.
• D tier means below average — disappointing, you can do better.
• F tier means the worst — bottom of the barrel.

You will sometimes see the whole scale written out as a SABCDEF tier list — or called a tier sheet — which is the same idea, just spelling out every letter from S down to F. For a deeper breakdown of each rank, see tier list letters explained, and to colour them correctly check the tier list color codes.

Do you have to use S?

Not at all. S is a convention, not a requirement. Plenty of people rename tiers entirely — “Goated,” “Mid,” “Trash” — or use 1–5 stars. The letters are just a shared shorthand that most people understand instantly, which is why they stuck. In our tier list maker you can rename and recolor every tier in seconds.